Retractable coupler for locomotive structures



April 13, 1948.

J. C..YITRAVI,LLA, JR., El AL RETRACTABLE COUPLER FOR LOGOMOTIVE STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' FIG. I.

INVENTORS JAMES C.TRAV|LLA JR. WILLIAM C-KRAUTHEIM FIG.2.

ATI RNLY April 1948' J. c. TRAVILLA, JR., ET AL 2,439,762

RETRACTABLE COUPLER FOR LOCOMOTIVE STRUCTURES Filed Dec. 22, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 3 ii I I 4- I I a 5 25 /9 f :5 4

5 FIG .4

INVENTORS. JAMES C.TRAVILLA JR. WILLIAM C. KRAUTHEIM ,ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 13, l948 2,439,762 RETRAoTABLE'GoUPLER po ttocoluorivs STRUCTURES James; C. Travilla, Jr., Swarthmore, Pa., and 'William G; Krautheim, Normandy,- Mos as sigiioi's to" General Steel Castings Corporation; Granite City, Ills, a corporation of Delaware ApplicationDecember22, 1944', Serial No. 569374 I 2 invention relates to locomotive pilot and stantially' the full distance'between the opposing coupler structureo'fthetype in which the coupler faces of bosses Ill and f2; swfngs' from functioning position into a pocket in An arcuate plate I8 is shaped to close the pockthe; pilot and the pocket opening may then be et opening in the pilot" fr'on't walls 4- and issupclosed? by a plate forming a continuation of the 5 ported through an integral horizontal flange l9 fron'tj Wall of the pilot; Structure of this gen (Figure 4) resting on shelf Hand aperture'd to oral type is shown in J. G". Bower Patent Nol Surround boss I2. Another flange 2i! surrounds 2,1Q4,846,'issued January 11, 1938; the lower cylindrical--shapefl i terminal portion it The main object of the present invention is to of the coupler shankso-that theclosure plate may provide a construction which will better resist l pivot thereon as it is swungabout' the axis of buffing and draft forces applied to the coupler, pin I 6 from the pocket closing position shown and particularly to reduce or eliminate bending in Figures 2 and-3 to the retracted position as inonients on the; pivot pin about which the coushown in Figures 1 and-4'. pler shank swings. The closure plate has an upper flange 2i coop- This and other detail bje t a wi appear crating with flanges l9" and '20 'in reenforcing from the following descriptionare attained by the closure plate, and an upright web 22 exthe structure illustrated in the accompanyin tends betweenflanges and 2t and is substandrawings, in Whichtially V-shaped in horizontal contour (Figure 1).

Figure 1 is atop'view of a locomotive pilot beam The s de of V are disposed o engage the and pilot, a portio of the structure being 20 sides of the coupler shank and move thecoupler ti oned horizontally to better illustrate the parts, r m e d position to pr jected p n. the coupler being shown in functioning position. vice r as plate is swung a y m Figure 2 is a front elevation of the structure t p c t o n position to ts e t d posishown in Figure 1, the o ket closure plate being io r v versa- A looking er 3 (Figure shownin functioning position. 25 2) pivoted on plate l8 operates a vertically slid- Figure 3 is a side elevation looking towards the ing bolt receivable in suitable apertures A in eit han en of the p l t d pilot m as Shown bottom wall 8 to retain plate l8 in selected posiinFigure2'. tion. When plate I8 is retracted, as shown in Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken i ur s 1 and 4, the angle between the inclined on the line 4-V'4 of Figure 1. portions of web 22 accommodates the normal The pilot beam l i hown atta h t th swinging of the coupler on curved track between front end of the locomotive main frame -z and the extremes indicated at'l3 and Nb in Figure 1. mounting the rear wall 3 of the locomotive pilot. The coupler head is supp rted from flange (Fig- The pilot front Walls 4 converge forwardly of the I W 4) l y a We r plate 25 onthe flange. lo omotive and merge with each other and with h structure provides f r 'o d t o t the'plilotend walls 5. The pilot walls are aperof the rear end of coupler l3, M by boss l2 and tured at 6 in the usual manner and the pilot inp n 6 nd since t e p t on or the coupler ecludes a forwardly opening pocket P having a, top iving th pin x nds su stantially the full diswall 1, a bottom wall 8 (Figure 4) and side walls tance between bosses Ill and I2, bending moments 9 (Figure 1). Top wall 1 has a depending boss 40 on the pin are substantially eliminated, thus inlll. Bottom wall 8 has an annular raised shelf suring greater strength o'f'the pin for a given II and an upstanding boss l2 disposed centrally diameter and providing maximum depth of the of the shelf. pin-receiving portion of the coupler sh'ank for a The coupler carried by the pilot includes a head given depth of the pocket. The closure plate is l3 and an integral shank M the rear end of which supported at widely spaced points by shelf l I and has cylindricahshaped portions l5 projecting upindependently of the coupler supporting boss l2. Wardly and downwardly from, the body of the The separat b a in f t pl r and t l shank. The rear end of the shank is apertured sure plate on the pocket parts simplifies the conto receive the pivot pin I 6 which is seated in struction and avoids the fitting of the coupler bearings provided therefor in bosses l0 and I2. and closure plate to'each other and avoids the The coupler swings horizontally on pin Hi from use of shims between these parts as have been the functioning positions shown in Figures 1 and used previously for this purpose.

4 to a retracted non-functioning position shown The details of the structure may be varied subat l3a in Figure 1. The coupler shank l4 rests stantially without departing from the spirit of upon the upper face of boss I2 and extends subthe invention, and the exclusive use of those modhaving a part resting directly on said wall, in-;

dependently of said plate part, to support the coupler. V V

2. In combination, a locomotive pilot'having a forwardly opening pocket with a bottom wall,

out of said pocket to functioning positions and a coupler including a shank with its rear end portion forming a bearing resting-on said bottom wall, a pivot pin extending through said shank portion and said bottom wall, the coupler bein movable about the axis of said pin to be projected from said pocketor to be retracted within it, and a plate movable about said pin axis to close or to expose the cket opening and provided with a horizontal flange resting on a portion of said bottom wall spaced radially of said pin fromsaidshank bearing.

3. In a locomotive pilot provided with aswinging coupler, a coupler-receiving pocket opening forwardly of the pilot and having vertically spaced upper and lower walls, an upright pivot pin having bearings in said walls, the coupler having a shank including an apertured part for receiving said pin and extending substantially the full vertical depth of the pocket between said bearings, and a closure plate for the pocket opening having a horizontal 'fiange supported from said pocket outwardly from said shank part.

4. In combination, a locomotive pilot having a pocket with a forwardly opening end and with vertically spaced upper and lower walls apertured to form pin bearings, there being an upright pin seated in said bearings, a coupler device having a head at one end and a sleeve at its other end surrounding said pin and extending substantially the full vertical depth of the pocket between the opposing ends of said bearings, and a plate associated with said device and having a part fitting around aportion of said sleeve to pivotally assemble the plate and device so that they are movable about a common axis to a position'in which said head is received'in said pocket and the open end of said pocket is closed by said plate and to a position in which said plate is received in said pocket and said head is projected forwardly of said pocket.

5. In combination, a locomotive pilot having a pocket with a forwardly opening end and with vertically spaced upper and lower-wall members, a coupler device' with a head at one end and with its other end extending substantially the full vertical depth of the pocket between said members, a plate associated with said device and adapted to close said pocket open end, and means pivoting the plate and the device about a common axis at the latter-mentioned end of the device so that the plate and the device head may be moved alternately intoand out of the pocket. I

6. In a locomotive pilot structure, a pilot having a coupler pocket, a coupler pivot pin mounted on said pilot, a laterally swinging coupler'pivoted g -'7. A closure plate for a having one end mounted therein,

' a part arranged to fit around and pivot the plate on the pivoted end of the coupler device.

on said pin and movable into and out of said pocket to non-functioning and functioning positions and comprising a coupler head and a coupler shank, and a pocket closure plate movable with said coupler to close said pocket, said coupler and said closure plate having a common axis, said closure plate pivoting with and on'said coupler independently of said pivot pin. locomotive pilot pocket of a coupler device pivotally the plate being provided with 8. A closure plate for a locomotive pilot having a pinfor pivotally mounting one end of a coupler device, the plate being provided with a circular part fitting around and pivoting on the pinmounted end of the coupler device.

9. Ajclosure plate as described in claim '7 which includes a member arranged to straddle the coupler device with the side elements of said member diverging from the pivoted part to permit the coupler head to swing laterally in operative posi tion to accommodateithe vehicle on curves but which will engage the sides of thec'oupler device to move with the coupler device when the coupler device is moved from an operative to inoperative position or vice versa andthereby move the closure plate to descend uncover the opening in' the pilot. a

'10. A closure plate as described in claim 7 in which the pivoted part is provided with an extensionto be supported by said pilot and to support the coupler device at a point spaced fromits pivoted end.

11. A closure plate. as described in claim 7 which is constructed and arranged to be supported on the bottom of the pocket independently of the support of the coupler device.

12. A closure plate as'described in claim '7 which is provided with portions at a lower level than the pivoted portion for supporting the closure plate on the bottom of the pocket independently of the support of the coupler device;

13. A locomotive pilot laterally swinging coupler device adapted to be associated with a closure plate for a'pilot pocket and comprising a head and a shank, the end of the shank opposite to the head being arrangedto surround a pivot pin seated in portions of top and bottom'of thepocket and being provided with a circular boss for pivotally mounting thepocket closure plate independently of the pivot pin.

4 14.'A coupler as described in claim 13 in which the pivot pin surrounding end of the shank is adapted to extend substantially the full distance between the top and bottom portions of the pocket whichseat the coupler pivot pin.

7 JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.

WILLIAM C; KRAUTHEIM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of 'this patent:

' 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name a Date 2,104,346 BowerL'. Jan. 11, 1938 2,104,857 Einwachter Jan. 11, 1938 2,107,376 Y I Hoke Feb. 8, 1938 Wolfe June 30,"1942 

